At a panel at Wednesday's economic forecast, Boulder Economic Council Executive Director Clif Harald directed two questions to a panel of three executives. Here are their responses, edited for length and clarity:

Which attributes of Boulder are most important to your business?

Darren Dasburg, site director of AstraZeneca: We certainly came here for a couple reasons. There was an empty plant waiting to be used, and we were interested in seeing the biotech industry's top people. We received 1,000 top-quality resumes for 250 jobs in Boulder. We'll eventually have another 400 to 500 jobs in Longmont. CU, CSU and the School of Mines are all feeding us great talent.

Scott Green, site director at Google: Talent is super important. There is collaboration and support here (that is) a huge help.

Michael Allen, EVP and president of Boulder Brands: The overall lifestyle, the combination of a healthy diet and outdoor lifestyle. And the overall education of people here. The quality of individuals that work for us, even right out of college, is very high.

What risks do you see to sustaining Boulder's economic vitality?

Green: My concerns at the highest level are that tech eats its own. If you think of hugely successful tech companies from 15 years ago (that aren't around today). If we aren't super diligent, that world will change.

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Dasburg: We don't have enough people going into the trades. It's very difficult to get people to come in and do the stainless steel work we need, the architectural work. We might need to double the size of this plant and I have to depend on local trades.

Allen: Recruiting individuals into this community is very tough because of the relative expense level (of housing). It's something we consider in terms of what types of programs we're putting together to recruit talent.

A lot of ground was covered at Wednesday night's economic forecast event, hosted by the Boulder Economic Council and the Boulder Chamber.

But it was a topic that wasn't covered that got the most attention. It even was banned during the Q&A portion with presenters and University of Colorado economists Rich Wobbekind and Brian Lewandowski.

"I told them they wouldn't have to answer this question, so I'll answer it," joked Clif Harald, executive director of the Economic Council.

"What effects will President Trump's policies have on the economy? The answer I have for you is, check back with us next year at this time."

Whatever a Trump administration has in store, the economies of Colorado and Boulder County are likely to keep performing well, according to Wobbekind.

Both the state and the county outperformed the nation on just about every economic measure last year, and projections are for more of the same for 2017.

Every primary industry is projected to continue growth, retail sales are strong, housing values are slated to appreciate further and employment and wages are on pace to rise.

Even the state's beleaguered oil and gas industry could see a "lot more activity" in the coming year as prices trend upward toward $60 a barrel, Wobbekind said.

"By almost every economic indicator we measure, 2016 was an historic year," intoned Harald.

Better yet for weary Boulder County tenants: a slowdown in rents is on the horizon as multifamily construction has ramped up.

However, Wobbekind said, the movement in construction is away from apartment complexes and toward the building of single family homes, which may begin to slow the rapid rise in home prices that Colorado and Boulder County has experienced in the past few years.

"People have to be able to afford where they're living, and this is something getting out of balance," he said.

One factor that could negatively impact affordability is interest rates, which the Federal Reserve has indicated will be subject to multiple hikes in the coming year. Wobbekind said as many as four increases could be on tap.

Although they would remain at historically low rates even after several hikes, the moves could begin to slow economic expansion.

"Growth cycles don't die from age," Wobbekind said. "They tend to die from rising interest rates — when the economy starts to overheat, the Fed responds and it typically takes some of the energy out."

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